Car-door.



P. GVMERKBR.

CAR DOOR.

I APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1911. 15086602. Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

Patented Feb. 10,1914.

2 s'xnn'rs-snsnr 2.

P. O. MERKER.

GAR DOOR.

w APPLICATION rum) may. 22,1911.

. Z;U 5444mm,

R W W H i :73 M w .u. .u -H-.

.R A Q Q n a w v w Q v? Q U improve the constructionof car doors, and

PHI-LIEC- EBKEQR OE CED-AR.RAPID$,; QWA-.-

CAR-DOOR,

Application filed November 22, 19m,

Specification of Letterslfatent.

PatentedFeb. 10, 1914.

Serial No 561740, f.

To all whom it may concern Beuit .knownthat =1, PHILLP O. MERKER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Cedar-.ltapids, in thecounty of Linn and Stateof Iowa, have invented a new and usefulCar-Door, of which the following is a specifications The inventionrelates to improvements in.

car doors.

The object of the present invention is to to provide a simple, efiicientand comparzv tively inexpensive car don, designed for use on grain carsand various other freight cars for carryingdifierent kinds ofmerchandise, and-adapted when-closed to fitsnugly the interior of thecar to formastorm-proof and grain tight closure, and capable of openingexteriorly of the car, without the contents of .the car interfering withsuch movement.

The invention also has. for its: object to provide a door .of thischaracter, adapted With these and other objects in view, the.

invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination of partshereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings,and pointed out in the claims hereto appended; it being understood thatvarious changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details ofconstruction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit or sac rificing any of the advantages of theinvention.

1n the drawings :-Figure 1 is--a front elevation-of a car door,constructed in ac.- cordance with this invention, and shown applied to acar. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig.3 is a horizontal sectional View on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is ahorizontal sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is avertical sectional View on the line5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is adetailperspective view of the lower hasp and bracket for locking thepivoted door engaging bar. Fig. 7 is a similar view of the upper haspmember and the seal receiving pin.

Like numerals of reference designate cordrawings.

In the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated the preferredembodiment of the invention, the car. door comprises in its constnuctionanupper door l and a main or lower doorromposedof four .verticaldoorhsections 2, '3, .4 and 5, but the number ofvertical sections ofthealower -or main door may be increasedto provide a door of the desiredsize, or the verticalsections may be variedtin size to secure the same.result. Theu-doornsectionsl 2 and 3 are hingedtogether :andnthe doorsections 4: and 5 are likewisehinged together, forming two sec--tionaldoors, which extend from the bottom of the doorvopening of theside or wall 6 of .the.car intdthe upper half of'the door opening, theupper door 1 being in the naturel-of an. auxiliary door, adapted to.be.-opened ;forloading grain and designed to remainclosedwhen themerchan- (llSe.COIltfllPBClJVlthlIl the car is of a size to passthrough. the door opening when the lower .or main door only is opened.

TheseotionsZ and 5 of the sectional doors are slidahly connected-withvertical pintle rods 7 by hinge elements composed-of two leaves 8 and 9,hinged together by a verticalpintle 10 and adapted to permit thesectional doors to swing through the dooropening of the car-from theinterior to the exterior of the same and vice versa. The leaves8 areriveted or otherwise secured to theouter faces of the. door sections 2and 5 at points intermediate of the vertical side edges-of the same, andthe leaves 9, which constitute intermediate leaves, are providedwitheyes 11, slidably arranged on the vertical pint-1e rods 7 andsupported by the contiguous hinge elements or brackets 12.

The vertical-pintle rods 7, which are located at opposite sides of thedoor opening of the car, ar supported at intervals by the fixed hingeelements or brackets 12, provided with vertically alined eyes to receivethe pintle rods and having slots 13 through which pass bolts 14, orothersuitable fastening devices for securing the hinge elements or brackets12 in fixed adjustment. The bolts have their heads arranged at the innerfaces of the car so as to present smooth surfaces to the contents of thesame. The hinges 15, which connect the upper door 1 with the car at thetop of the door opening, are also provided with slots 16 for thereception ofsuitable 'respondingparts in all=the figures of thefastening devices 17 for adjustably securing the upper door 1 to thecar. As the upper door and the lower or main door fit against theinterior of the car when closed, they are capable of adjustment throughthe said slots and fastening devices to enable the door to be arrangedto fit various door openings whether in or out of plumb, and itobviatesv the necessity of trimming'the doors or the frame-work of thecar for this purpose. As the sectional doors swing on the verticalpintle rods? and also on the pintles 10, they are adapted to be readilymoved through the car door opening to and from their closed position.The hinge elements or brackets 12 are preferably four in number andspaced apart to provide upper and lower intermediate spaces for the eyes11 of the leaves 9, and three sets of leaves 8 and '9 are employed, asshown, but the number of brackets or fixed hinge elements and the leaves8 and 9, which constitute movable hinge elements, may be, of course,varied, as desired. The vertical sliding of the sectional doors enablesthe sections when folded to be lifted over supporting brackets 18.

The sections of the lower or main door and the upper door are preferablyconstructed of heavy sheet metal, such as boiler iron, but any othersuitable material, either wood or metal, may be employed in theconstruction of the doors. The hinges 19 and 20, which connect thesections 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 together in pairs, are preferably arrangedat the top, bottom and center of the said sections 2, 3, 4 and 5, andthe hinges 19 of the sections 2 and 3 are arranged at the inner faces ofthe same, while the hinges 20 of thesections 4 and 5 are located at theouter faces of those sections. This permits the sections 2 and 3 tobreak outwardly and the sections 4 and 5 to break inwardly. The hinges19 and 20 each consists of two channeled iron bars, extending entirelyacross the sections, as shown, and provided at their adjacent ends witheyes for the reception of a suitable pintle. The hinges of the verticalsections of the lower door may be constructed and arranged in any otherpreferred manner, The vertical sections are bent outwardly at the bottomto form horizontal' bottom flanges 22, and the contiguous vertical edgesof the sections 2,and 3 are bent outwardly to form abutting flanges 23and 24, the flange 24 being L-sh aped to cover the joint between thesections 2 and 3, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The contiguous verticaledges of the sections 4 and 5 are bent outwardly to form verticalabutting flanges 25, and the section 5 is provided at its inner facewith a vertical strip 26, riveted or otherwise secured to the saidsection 5 and spannin and covering the joint between the sections 4 and5. The adjacent edges of the sections 3 and 4 are bent outwardly to formflanges 27 and 28, the flange 23 being L-shaped in cross section andoverlapping the flange 27 to cover the joint.

The lower edge of the upper door extends below the upper edges of thevertical sections of the lower door, and the said upper door is equippedatfits outer face adjacent to its lower edge with a horizontal flangedbar 29, having one of its flanges fitted against the upper door andsuitably secured to the same, while the other flange projectshorizontally from the upper door over the upper edge of the main doorand against the meeting portions of the doors to provide a tight jointat the top of the lower or main door. The horizontal projecting flangeis provided at intervals with slots 30, adapted to be engaged by apointed bar, or other tool to enable the vertical sections of the lowerdoor to be forced inwardly into' position and permitting the bills ofhooks 31 to project through the horizontal flange for engaging the upperends of the vertical sections of the lower door for securing the same intight engagement with the lower edge of the upper door and for securingthe latter in its closed position. The hooks are pivoted by rivets 32,or other suitable fastening means, to the vertical flange of thehorizontal bar 29, and their bills may be equipped with slots 33 for thereception of fastening means for lochng the hooks in engagement with theupper end of the vertical sections of the lower door.

The car is equipped with a transversely curved sill plate 34, extendingentirely across the door opening and arranged upon a wooden filler stripor bar 35,. and secured to the floor. of the car by wood screws, orother suitable fastening devices. The bottom flanges of the verticalsections of the lower door are arranged upon the sill plate at thecenter thereof, and any water is directed upon the outer slope of thesill plate and caused to flow from the door. The lower or main door isequipped wit a pivoted door engaging bar 36, constructed preferably ofchannel-ed metal and mounted on the lower portion of the verticalsection 3 on a bolt 37, a washer 38 being interposed between the doorengaging bar and the sec-' tion 3. The bolt 37 similar to the otherbolts of the door, has its head arranged interiorly of the car so as topresent a smooth surface to the contents thereof. The door engaging bar36 is of a length to extend entirely across the sections 3 and 4 and itsends, which overlap the inner portions of the sections 2 and 5, areequipped with reversely arranged hooks 39 and 40, having flat shanksarranged between the flanges of the channeled door engaging bar 36 andriveted or otherwise secured to the web portion of the latter. Althoughthe reversely arranged books 39 a d 40 are shown sepa" rate from thedoor engaging bar 36, yet it will. be readily apparent that they may beformed integral with the same. The re rversely arranged hooks areadapted to en closed position. The hooks may also be arranged outside ofthe handles to ermit the sections 3 and 4 to be spaced vronu each othera suflicient distanceto afford the desired amount of ventilation,thereby provid- The pivoted bar 36 also engages an inverted aproximately U-shaped keeper 43 open at tie bottom to receive the bar 36and consisting of an inner attaching portion, a spaced outer portion anda connecting top portion, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of thedrawings. The

inverted U shaped keeper is preferably flanged at the outer and topportions to strengthen it, and the lower end 44 of the outer portion isinclined to provide a flaring mouth, and the inner portion is providedbelow the connecting portion with a vertical rib 45, rounded atthe'outer face and beveled at the lower end to receive the pivoted bar,which is spaced from the outer face of the inner vertical attachingportion and from the fastening devices for securing the keeper to thesection 4 of the lower or main door.

The door engaging bar is provided at one side of the pivot bolt 37 witha horizontally projecting tongue or staple member 46, secured to orformed integral with the upper flange of the bar 36 and extendingoutwardly beyond the flange and adapted to extend through a horizontalslot or openingv 47 of a lower hinged hasp 48, mounted in opposite guidegrooves 49 of asupporting braclret 50. The supporting bracket 50consists of a horizontal bottom or body portion and upwardly extendinghorizontal end portions spaced apart to receive the hasp 48 and havingthe said guide grooves 49 closed at their'outer ends 51 and opened attheir inner ends to permit pivot portions 52 of the'hasp 48 to beintroduced into the guide grooves beforev the bracket. 50 is secured tothe vertical section 3 of the lower door. The bracket is providediwithears 53 and 54:, which .are secured to. the said section 3 of the lowerdoor, and the door engaging bar is received betweenthe upper ears orlugs and thehasp L8, which is also provided at its inner face with ahorizontal inwardly projecting flange 55, arranged to engage over thebottom flange of the pivoted bar 36, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5 ofthe drawings. No claim is made in the present application to the lockingmeans per se for securing the horizontal door engaging bar in its closedposition. v

The projecting tongue or staple member 46is provided with an opening 56,through which projects the lower end of a seal receiving pin 57, mountedon an upper hasp member 58. The upper hasp member 58 is provided at theupper end with an eye 59 to receive the lower link of a chain 60, and ithas a slot 61 in its lower portion for the projecting tongue, and itfits on the latter" against the outer face of the lower has 3 48. Thepin 57, which retains the upper iasp 30 member 58 on the tongue, isprovided above the latter with a. vertical slot 62, receiving a headedstud 63, whichslidably andpiv otally secures the seal receiving pin tothe upper hasp member. The pin 57 is provided 5 in its lower portionwith a slot 64, and the wire 65 of a seal 66 is passed through the slot64 and through a slot or openlng 67 of an arm 68 of the upper haspmember 58, the slots 64 and 67 being in alinement when 0 the pin 57 isat the limit of its downward movement, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 7of the drawings. The locking pin is equipped at its upper end with aprojecting lip or flange 69 to enable it to be readily grasped forlifting it. out of engagement with the tongue of the locking bar 36 andfor engaging it with the same. The locking mechanism enables the pivotedbar 36 to be securely fastened in engagement with the vertical secmotions of the lower or main door, and to be sealed with an ordinary carseal.

The chain 60 passes through upper and lower chain guides 70 and 71, andis ,designed to be provided at its upper end with 05 one or moreenlarged links 72, adapted to engage a hook .73 having a shank portion.riveted or otherwise secured to the upper door 1. By providing aplurality of links, suiiicient space may be left between the lower ed eof the upper door and the upper ends of t 1e vertical sections of thelower or main door for securing the desired ventilation. The guides '70and 71 consist of loops and opposite attaching portions, which are 5suitably secured to the outer face of'the section 3 of the lower door.

When the sections of the lower door are opened, they are lifted over andarranged upon the supporting brackets 18, each con- 12 sisting of aninner vertical attaching portion, I an upper outwardly projectinghorizontal supporting portion and a central vertical bracing portion.The upper horizontal supporting portion is provided with a centralenlargement 7 4 upon which the folded vertical sections rest, and thesaid sections are held against outward movement by a lug 75, whichprojects upwardly from the front of the horizontal supporting portion.'

The upper door 1 swings inwardly and upwardly in opening, and it is heldin its open position by means of a gravity catch, consisting of apivoted door engaging member 7 6, mounted between spaced depending sides77" of a supporting bracket 78, having a top attaching portion, which issuitably secured to one of the carlines or other portion of the top ofthe car. The spaced depending sides 77 are connected by upper and lowerhorizontal portions 79 and 80, and the pivoted door engaging member 76is provided with a projecting rear portion or heel 81 for engaging thelower connecting portion 80 to limit the downward movement of the frontengaging or supporting portion of the pivoted member 76. The upperconnecting portion 79 is arranged to engage and limit the inward or rearmovement of the front end of the pivoted member when the latter is swungupwardly and inwardly. The front portion of the pivoted member isarranged in the path of the lower edge of the upper door, and when thelatter is swung upwardly and inwardly, it strikes the outer portion ofthe pivoted locking member and swings past the same, the pivoted memberdropping by gravity andprojecting beneath the free'edge of the door andforming a support for the same. By this construction the catch forholding the upper door in its open position is automatic in itsoperation, and it is only necessary to swing the upper door past thepivoted member of the catch to engage the latter with the upper door.

It may be desirable in some instances when the doors are constructed ofmetal to line the same with paper or other suitable material to preventthe doors from sweating under changes of temperature and, af

footing the contents of the car.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is I 1. The combination with a car having adoor opening, of a car door fitted against the inside of the car whenclosed and comprising sectional doorscomposed of a plurality of verticalsect-ions hinged together, and means for hinging the sectional doors tothe car, said means bein connected with the exterior of the car anconstructed to permit thedoor sections to swing-through the door openingfrom the interior of the car to the exterior of the same to pointsbeyond the door opening so as to fold the sectional doors fiat againstthe outside of the car away from the said. dooropening to leave thelatter clear. v

2. The combination with acar having a door opening, of a car'doorfitted'against the inside of the car when closed and comprisingsectional-doors composed of pluexterior of the car at opposite sides ofand spaced from the door opening, and means for slidably and hingedlyconnecting the sectional doors with the car, said means being connectedwith the exterior of the car and constructed to permit door sections toswing through the door opening from the inside of the car to theexterior thereof to points beyond the door opening so as to fold flatagainst the outside of the car away from the said door opening withtheir lower ends resting upon the supporting brackets.

The combination with a vcar having a door opening, of a vertical pintlerod adjustably mounted in a fixed position on the exterior of the car atopposite sides of the door opening and spaced from the outside of thecar, doors arranged against the inside of the car when closed andadjustable to cover the door opening, and hinge elements mounted on thepintle rod and connected with the doors and extending through the dooropening when the said doors are closed, said hinge elements permittingthe doors to swin through the door opening from the interior of the carto the exterior of the same to points beyond the door opening so as tofit fiat against the outside of the car. I

4:. The combination -\vith a car having a door opening, of verticalpintle rods arranged at opposite sides of the door opening at theexterior of the car, adjustable means for supporting the Pintle rods insuch position, fixed hinge elements secured at intervals to the exteriorof the car beyond; the door opening and having eyes projecting outwardlyfrom the car and receiving the pintle rods, a car door fitted againstthe in side of the car and composed of sectional doors, and movablehinge elements slidable on the pint-1e rods andconnected with thesectional doors and extending through the door opening when the saidsectional doors are closed and arranged to permit them to swing throughthe door opening from the interior of the car to the exterior of thelatter'to points beyond the said door openmg.

.5. The combination with a carhaving a door opening, of vertical pintlerods arranged at opposite sides of the door opening at the exterior ofthe car, fixed hinge elements secured at intervals to the exterior ofthe car beyond the door opening and having outwardly projecting eyesreceiving the pintle rods, a car door fitted against the inside of thecar and composed of sectional doors, and movable hinge elements composedof two leaves hinged together and connected, respectively, with thesectional doors ,and with the pintle rods and extending through the dooropening when the sectional'doors are closed and arranged to permit themto swing through the door opening to the interior of the car to theexterior of the same to points beyond the door opening.

6. The combination with a car having a door opening, of vertical pintlerods arranged on the exterior of the car at opposite sides of the dooropening, fixed hinged brackets secured to the outside of the car j acentpintle rod and supported by the contiguous fixed hinge elements, saidmovable hinge elements extending through the door opening when thesectional doors are closed and permitting the latter to swing throughthe door opening from the interior of the car to the exterior of thesame to points beyond the door opening. 7

7. The combination with a car having a door opening, of a lower or maindoor composed of sectional doors hinged to the car at opposite sides ofthe door opening and .composed of vertical sections, anupper door hingedto the car at the top of the door opening and having its lower free edgeoverlapping the sections of the lower or main door, said upper doorbeing provided at its outer face with a projecting flange extendingoutwardly beyond the lower or main door and covering the meetingportions thereby to form a tight joint and having slots, and fasteningmeans carried by the upper door and arranged to project through theslots of the said flangeto engage the lower or main door. I

8. The combination with a car having a door opening, of a lower or maindoor composed of sectional doors hinged to the car at opposite sides ofthe door opening and having vertical sections, an upper door hinged tothe car at the top of the door opening and havmg its lower free edgeoverlapping the section of the lower or mam door, said upper door beingprovlded at its outer face with a horizontal pro ect ng flange extendingacross the door opening and projecting outwardly beyond the lower ormain door and covering the upper edges thereof and forming a tight jointbetween the said doors and having slots, and pivoted hooks carried bythe upper door and having bills arranged to project through the slots ofthe said flange to engage the lower or main door.

9. The combination with a car door com sections, a hook secured to oneof the inner I door sections, and a substantially horizontal doorengaging bar pivotally mounted on the other inner door section andengaging the vsaid hook and provided at its terminals with reverselydisposed hooks projecting up wardly and downwardly and extending intoand engaging the said loops, which form keepers for the ends of the barand handles for opening and closing the sectional doors.

10. The combination with a car having a door opening, of a lower or maindoor including hinged vertical sections, an upper horizontal door hingedat the top of the door opening and overlapping the lower or main door, ahorizontal door engaging bar pivota-lly mounted on the lower or maindoor and engaging the sections thereof, a chain extending from the upperdoor to the door engaging bar, means for securing the horizontal bar inits engaging position and for connecting the lower end of the chain withthe said horizontal bar, and means for ad just-ably connecting the upperend of the chain with the upper horizontal door to enable the upper doorto be closed tight-1y or arranged partially open to allow forventilating the car.

11. The combination with a. car having a door opening, of a lower ormain door composed. of sectional doors having hinged ver tical sections,an upper horizontal door hinged at the top of the door opening andoverlapping the lower or main door, a pivoted door engaging bar mountedon the lower or main door and arranged horizontally on the same andengaging each of the sections thereof and having a fixed projectingtongue or portion, means mounted on the lower or main door andcooperating with the said bar for securing the lower or main door in itsclosed position, a hasp member detachably secured to the said tongue orprojecting portion,'and means for adjustably connecting the hasp memberwith the upper door for securing the latter tightly in its closedposition or partly open to ventilate the car.

12. The combination with a car having adoor opening, of a lower or maindoor composed of sectional doors having hinged vertical section's, anupper horizontal door hinged at the top of the door opening andoverlapping the lower or main door, a horizontal door engaging barpivotally mounted on the lower or main door and engaging each of thesections thereof and having afixed projecting portion or tongue, meansmounted on the lower or main door and co said chain extending along thelower or main door and provided with a hasp member having an openingreceiving the projecting portion or tongue of said bar, and means forsecuring the hasp member on the tongue or projecting port-ion.

13. The combination with a car having a door opening, of a lower or maindoor composed of sectional doors having hinged vertical sections, anupper horizontal door hinged at the top to the door opening andoverlapping the lower or main door, a horizontal door engaging ha-rpivotally mounted on the lower 6r main door and engaging the sectionsthereof and having a projecting portion or tongue, means mounted on thelower or main door and coiiperating with the said bar for locking thelower or main dodr in its closed position, a hook carried by the upperdoor, a chain detachably and adjustably engaging the hook of the upperdoor to enable the latter to be secured tightly in its closed positionor partly open to ventilate the car, said chain extending along thelower or main door and provided with a hasp member having an openingthrough which extends the said projecting portion or tongue, and spacedguides mounted on the lower or main door and receiving the chain.

14:. The combination with a car having a door opening, of :1 lower ormain door composed of sectional doors having hinged vertical sections,an upper horizontal door hinged at the top of the door opening andoverlapping the lower or main door, a horizontal door engaging barpivotally mounted on the lower or, main door and engaging the sectionsthereof and having a projecting tongue, a hook carried by the upperdoor, a

chain detaohably and adjust-ably engaging the hook of the upper door tosecure the latter tightly in its closed position and also partly open toventilate the car, said chain extending along the lower or main door andprovided with a hasp member having an PHILIP C. M FIR-KER.

Witnesses:

E. E. Ro'rnnocn, G. E. LINDSEY.

(topics of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner at Patents.

Washington, D. C.

